09/09/09

Food was average, BAD SERVICE

by Pwhitmann

Pwhitmann– September 09, 2009 at 22:27:21 PDT

Its so true, its not all cracked up to be, the Vietnamese sandwich was below average compare to the ones sold in the L.E.S for $4. This place is over rated. Service for me was bad, not to mention the language barrier. Some Asian guy was rude to my party, obviously he was part of the restaurant. Over all service was horrible, food was average.....

• Cons: Food was average, BAD SERVICE

03/20/09

Good Vietnamese

by JPizzle

Great authentic vietnamese food that isn't too salty or spicy. Drinks were made right, as well. All in all a good experience.

• Pros: Authentic
• Cons: none, really

09/30/08

Amazing Lunch Specials

by EddieR30

I have to say with so many overpriced places in Chelsea - Safran has an amazing lunch special that you can't beat. For under $10 bucks you can have a lunch box special which comes with noodles, salad, spring or summer roll, and your choice of meat. I personally loved the Pork Chops. They were deliciously seasoned in a tangy soy sauce. Wash that down with a Tiger Beer and you have a very fullfilling meal.

• Pros: Great Price for Lunch specials
• Cons: Service can be slow

08/10/08

Food is good why it's empty at 6pm on Saturday?

by mohctep

We went in based on a hunch . It was completely empty on Saturday while other restaurants in the area were full. I cannot explain this phenomenon, but we took a risk and came out very satisfied. Reasonably priced and very good food. Deserts are ok . But my bamboo soup was great ,as well as teriyaki beef cubes.

This is a solid place with good food at reasonable price.

No name Cab that they sell by the glass is a decent variety as well. I would definitely come back there.

• Pros: Food , no crowds. No turists, no loud music
• Cons: I cannot think of any

04/16/08

Great Food, missing bartender!

by LFleur

To start with I have to say, the food here is amazing, i've never had a dish i didn't love (to both look at AND taste), and the prices are fairly reasonable for what you get, especially if you're with friends. however, what we REALLY came here for were the drinks, made by one of the best bartenders in the city; we couldn't get enough! But when my friends and I went by last week we learned, much to our dismay, that he's no longer working there! i just hope he's still bartending in the area, i need my dirty martini fix!

• Pros: great food
• Cons: no more drinks : (

05/14/07

Best meal I've had in a LONG time

by amberwl737

My family and I enjoyed a mother's day meal at Safran last night and it is an amazing space. The restaurant decor is absolutely beautiful--modern and chic with asian flair. The food was delicious! It was truly the best meal I've had in a very long time. The presentation of everything was just gorgeous! Try the lobster summer rolls, the foie gras fried rice and the black and white sticky rice. Wonderful!

• Pros: Lots of meter parking on 7th after 7pm, very attentive servers, great ambience, gorgeous presentation, delicious food!
• Cons: No Cons!

03/23/07

Excellent Addition To Chelsea

by cardplayer

My Girlfriend and I had the pleasure of eating at this restaurant last night. The space is very well designed...bi-level, beautiful flower arrangements, soft lighting and chic orange coloring throughout. Service was excellent...hostess, waiter, manager and bartender (it's open now!) were all incredibly friendly. We started the evening with a Peking Duck Roll and Eel Roll. Both delecious and well presented. Our entrees were Filet of Sole and Duck Confit. The Sole was huge and perfectly cooked. The best part about the fish, other than the freshness, was the breading which somehow was incredibly light and fluffy. The Duck Confit was also well presented and extremely flavorful. The duck had an interesting sauce and was paired well with (caramelized?) pears. The flavor combination of eating a slice of duck with a pear slice was unique but thoroughly enjoyable.

We finished our meal with a dessert that consisted of three flavors of sorbet covered in a hard shell of White Chocolate. We also had some drink on the dessert menu with tapioca and fresh fruit that was absolutely amazing. This is a MUST TRY. I don't rememember exactly what was in it but it was extremely refreshing and bursting with different flavors.

03/12/07

A VERY PLEASANT EXPERIENCE!!!!!

by mochawy

Was very surprised to hear Safran used to be the Moonsoon on the upper westside since they had been in the neighborhood for over 10 years.The new safran is tastefully decorated, modern and sleek design with nice asian touch. Owner Lauran Lam is a very nice and warm lady, obviously very talented.She introduced several her signature dishes to six of us.They're all wonderfully delicious.Watercress salad is light and tasteful, the big-sized fried softshell crab is very crispy and fresh.The baby lamb chops made us want more even we were really full.......The banana cake and chocolate cake provided our dinner experience with a perfect ending. Good ingredients, delicious taste ,nice presentation, modern price and a wonderfully dinning experience. I certainly recommend everybody to go try it. Good for groups also.

• Pros: nice food and deco, fun bartender, good service
• Cons: not in a crowed neighborhood.People may pass easily

03/03/07

It's a Shame

by ethan129

It seems so obvious that a number of the highly positive and glowing reviews of Safran are from people associated with the restaurant which is a shame because the purpose of having these customer reviews is to have unbiased opinions of these restaurants. Please stop!!!!!

02/23/07

Nice

by mightysilly

The food is good, the ambience is definitely a draw. Went on a friday night and it was full but not to the point where it's obnoxiously crowded. Nice for conversation and the decor is soothing for a relaxing dinner. The only drawback was our waiter. Maybe he thought he was being funny but he joked when we were studying the wine list commenting that "all the expensive wines are good" as in haha, but i didn't think it was funny. I didn't think it's appropriate and it made me a bit uncomfortable. But again, i don't think he meant it to be obnoxious, but probably didn't know better. We complained a bit about the wine and at the end he gave us complimentary dessert drinks which was nice, except he left us with "here's some drinks on the house because you complained about the wine". Maybe it's a lost in translation sort of thing, and again, i don't think he meant it the way it sounded, but still, it didn't come off very gracious. Maybe a bit more attention in training of their waiters would be good. Otherwise, dinner was enjoyable.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: lost in translation for service?